Meknes \u2013 Real Madrid centre-back Antonio Rudiger has stepped down from international duty following a 12-year stint with Germany.<\/p>\n
The 33-year-old defender called time on his 86-cap career with the national team to shift his full attention to club football and open up opportunities for emerging young talent.<\/p>\n
Since making his senior debut in 2014, the veteran defender established himself as a cornerstone of Germany\u2019s backline across three World Cups and multiple European Championship tournaments.<\/p>\n
The Real Madrid defender reflected on his decision and expressed gratitude for his time with the national team before officially stepping down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter some time to \u2060reflect, the time has come for me to end my \u200bcareer with the national team and make way for the younger \u200bgeneration,\u201d Rudiger wrote on Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n Acknowledging the team\u2019s recent struggles, Rudiger looked back on his international journey with deep appreciation.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though we didn\u2019t win a major title in recent tournaments and had to endure some painful defeats, this time has \u200bbeen an extremely special chapter for me, one that will \u200bshape me forever,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n Although Rudiger missed out on Germany\u2019s 2014 World Cup triumph, he featured in the group-stage exits of 2018 and 2022.<\/p>\n The defender\u2019s international career ultimately came to a close at the 2026 World Cup, where Germany\u2019s round-of-32 loss to Paraguay served as his final appearance in a national team jersey.<\/p>\n The German international developed through the youth ranks at Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart before embarking on a top-tier club career that included stints at Roma, Chelsea, and Real Madrid.<\/p>\n After winning the Champions League with Chelsea in 2021, Rudiger made the switch to Real Madrid in 2022, where he added both a La Liga championship and another Champions League title to his cabinet in 2024.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t